This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional application No. 60/060,066, filed Sep. 26, 1997.
The present invention relates generally to fuel dispensers and, more particularly to fuel dispensers capable of distinguishing between various types of transponders capable of communicating with the dispenser and detecting movement of the transponder within and throughout the fueling environment.
In recent years, traditional gasoline pumps and service stations have evolved into elaborate point-of-sale (POS) devices having sophisticated control electronics and user interfaces with large displays and touch-pads or screens. The dispensers include various types of payment means, such as card readers, to expedite and further enhance fueling transactions. A customer is not limited to the purchase of fuel at the dispenser. More recent dispensers allow the customer to purchase services, such as car washes, and goods, such as fast food or convenience store products at the dispenser. Once purchased, the customer need only pick up the goods and services at the station store or the outlet of a vending machine.
Remote transaction systems have evolved wherein the fuel dispenser is adapted to communicate with various types of remote communication devices, such as transponders, to provide various types of identification and account information to the fuel dispenser automatically. Given the sophistication of these transaction systems and the numerous choices provided to the customer at the dispenser, distinguishing between transponders carried on a person and transponders mounted in a vehicle will be useful to allow the dispenser and fuel station store to monitor the movement of a person carrying a transponder and a vehicle having a transponder. Monitoring such movement would allow the fueling system to prevent drive-offs during a fueling operation wherein the dispenser's nozzle is still in the fill neck of the vehicle's fuel tank. The additional merchandising options provided to the customer may increase the risk of drive-offs. For example, in a single visit to a service station, a customer may fuel the vehicle and pay for the fuel dispensed at the fuel dispenser and order food at an associated quick-serve restaurant. During fueling, the customer may decide to pick up the ordered food and purchase other goods in the convenience store. Given all the transactions available, the customer could easily forget to complete the fueling transaction by replacing the dispenser nozzle back in the dispenser housing, or in cases where payment at the pump was not made, the customer could forget to pay for the fuel and drive off believing the fuel is paid for when in actuality only the convenience store products or fast food was actually purchased. In other situations, customers may intend on driving off without paying for the fuel. Given the increased volume of transactions occurring at the dispenser, it is difficult to keep track of and notice a customer driving off without paying for the fuel. In any of these and other related situations, keeping track of a vehicle using a vehicle mounted transponder may prevent intentional and unintentional drive-offs without paying or completing the fueling transaction.
Keeping track of a person or vehicle throughout the fuel station environment may be beneficial in other applications, such as advertising and merchandising. Given the projected mixture of both personal and vehicle mounted transponders, distinguishing between the types of transponders is desirable in certain applications to allow persons carrying a transponder to leave the immediate fueling position at the fuel dispenser during the fueling operation while preventing or limiting movement of a vehicle during the fueling operation to prevent drive-offs as well as monitor movement of person having personal transponders.
Thus, there is a need for a fuel dispensing system capable of determining a type of transponder in addition to being able to determine movement of certain of these transponders to enhance security, safety and functionality of modern fueling environments.